Week 1 LVC, MVC football capsules

August 29, 2013|By Stephen Miller and Keith Groller, Of The Morning Call

Spring-Ford at Whitehall

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

In the spotlight: Whitehall's retooled defense will face an immediate test. Spring-Ford has an elite running back in Jarred Jones and another speedster, Tate Carter, who will line up all over the field. Whitehall's defensive line of Nick Nejad, Orlando Bonilla and Danny Roustic must hold the point of attack to give the Zephyr linebackers a chance to run down the Rams.

By the numbers: Whitehall junior running back Saquon Barkley averaged 8.4 yards on his 34 carries last season.

Delaware Valley at Parkland

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

In the spotlight: Parkland junior Nick Zambelli and sophomore Devante Cross will share time at quarterback in this rematch of last year's Districts 2-11 Class 4A subregional final. The Trojans need at least one of them to play well with a Week 2 matchup at Easton looming. Avoiding the turnovers that burned Parkland in a Week 1 loss to the Warriors last year would be a good start.

By the numbers: Parkland averaged 489 yards of offense in its two meetings with the Warriors last season, running for more than 400 yards both times.

Easton at Pennsbury

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

In the spotlight: Easton will open the season without two starting offensive linemen, Forrest Myers and Scott Betts. The Red Rovers have had time during preseason camp to adjust to those losses up front. Will they be ready to provide holes for Shane Simpson, who ran for 289 yards and five touchdowns against Pennsbury last year?

By the numbers: Pennsbury has only two defensive starters returning. The Falcons do have six offensive starters back from a team that went 9-3 and lost to Pennridge in the District One 4A quarterfinals.

East Stroudsburg South at Freedom

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

In the spotlight: Freedom coach Jason Roeder was pleased with the way the Patriots improved their run defense from their first scrimmage to their second scrimmage. They will need to be in top form tonight to slow East Stroudsburg South running back Niko Petrone. He rushed for 1,800 yards and averaged 10.2 yards per carry last season.

By the numbers: Freedom does not bring back any players who finished last season with at least 100 yards rushing, passing or receiving.

Emmaus at Pennridge

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

In the spotlight: Emmaus coach Randy Cuthbert knows the Pennridge personnel well after leading the Rams to a 12-2 record and the PIAA 4A quarterfinals last year. Will the Green Hornets be ready to slow running back Mike Class and the Wing-T offense Pennridge will use this season? Class ran for 2,411 yards and 32 touchdowns last season.

In the spotlight: Throughout the offseason and preseason camp, Nazareth concentrated on improving its defensive communication. Pleasant Valley will test the Blue Eagles' progress behind quarterback Brandon Leap and running back Austyn Borre. Nazareth could use a big game from senior linebacker Frank Sharo, who had 11 tackles against the Bears last year.

By the numbers: Leap and Borre are the only two offensive starters back for Pleasant Valley.

Pocono Mountain East at Dieruff

When: 7 p.m. Friday

In the spotlight: The first Mountain Valley Conference game of the season and a matchup of two teams looking for better things this season. The Cardinals were just 3-7 last season but lost three games by three points or less. Devyn Papa is just one of several playmakers in the East offense and new assistant coach Frank Scagliotta will improve the defense. Dieruff is also looking for vast improvement, especially on defense. Shakur Lester figures to be the Huskies' big offensive threat.

By the numbers: Through its first eight games last season, Dieruff allowed 52 points per game, the highest average in District 11. However, a change in scheme helped to hold Allen to seven points in the Huskies' season-ending win. ….The Cardinals ended last season on a six-game losing streak.

Lehighton at Marian Catholic

When: 7 p.m. Friday

In the spotlight: An opportunity for two of the youngest teams in the area to experience some immediate success. Marian Catholic is coming off an 8-3 season, but lost its last two. Lehighton came within two points of finishing last year with a three-game winning streak. Both teams will rely on sophomore quarterbacks — either Dean Richards and K.J. Snerr for the Colts and Tyler Cann for the Indians.

By the numbers: Marian coach Stan Dakosty is one of the state's and District 11's all-time winningest coaches with 280 wins in a career that began in 1976. Tom McCarroll, Lehighton's second-year coach, helped Dakosty rack up several of his wins as a Colts player in the 1990s. … Lehighton will miss Jacen Nalesnik, who accounted for more than 1,600 receiving yards in his career and set the school mark with 111 career catches.